Description

.flow is a fangame for the 2005 RPG Maker game Yume Nikki. Like its predecessor, it revolves around the exploration of a withdrawn girl's mental world. In this case the protagonist is Sabitsuki, a white-haired girl who is heavily implied to be terminally ill.

Sabitsuki accesses her dream world by using the computer in her bedroom. Though it has many surreal elements similar to the world explored in Yume Nikki, Sabitsuki's world is often much bloodier, gorier, and drearier. The player's goal is to collect the 24 "effects" scattered throughout the world, which mostly cause aesthetic changes to Sabitsuki's sprite, though some also affect gameplay.

Once all effects have been collected, the player may continue on to their choice of two of the game's multiple endings. Alternatively, they may deposit the effects into Sabitsuki's computer, re-enter the dream world, and switch control to a character named Rust, who appears to be an alternate version of Sabitsuki. Rust cannot use effects, and her gameplay is more akin to survival horror; she is pursued by red demons that cause visible damage to her sprite whenever they attack her. If Rust takes too much damage, she will be sent back to the real world. As Rust, the player must travel to previously-inaccessible areas to collect three empty boxes, which seem to have some kind of symbolic meaning.